Self-certification explained: why Find asks, and what you're signing
The high-net-worth and sophisticated-investor tests in 2026, what the statement actually commits you to, what the protections you give up are, and why every listing on Find sits behind it.
Before you see a single listing on Find you will be asked to sign a statement: that you are a high-net-worth individual, or a self-certified sophisticated investor. It takes a minute and most investors click through it without reading. You should read it, because it changes what you are entitled to if things go wrong.
Why it exists
A listing on Find is an invitation to invest — a financial promotion in law. Promotions to the general public must be approved by an authorised firm and meet rules designed for people who may never have invested in anything. The law carves out two groups who are assumed able to look after themselves: wealthy people and experienced ones. Promotions to them can be made without the retail protections, provided they have signed the statement first. Find is built entirely on that exemption. Nobody uncertified sees a deal.
The high-net-worth test
You qualify if, in the last financial year, you had annual income of £100,000 or more, or net assets of £250,000 or more. Net assets exclude your main home, pension and any insurance-based benefits. These are the thresholds restored in 2024 after a brief increase.
The sophisticated investor test
You qualify if any one of these is true:
- You have been a member of a business-angel network or syndicate for at least six months.
- You have made two or more investments in unlisted companies in the last two years.
- You have worked in the last two years in a professional capacity in the private equity sector or in providing finance to small and medium-sized businesses.
- You have been a director of a company with annual turnover of at least £1m in the last two years.
What you are signing
The statement says, in prescribed words, that you accept you can receive promotions that may not have been approved by an authorised person, that they may not comply with the FCA's rules, and that you may lose the protections those rules give — including access to the Financial Ombudsman Service and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme for those promotions. It says you may lose all the money you invest, and that you are aware you can get independent advice. It is valid for twelve months, then you re-sign.
What you give up, in practice
If you invest in a company listed on Find and it fails, you have no claim against Find, Founder Capital or the approver for the investment having been a bad one. You have the ordinary remedies against the company and its directors if they lied to you — misrepresentation, fraud, breach of warranty — but not the regulatory safety net. That is the deal, and it is the same on every angel platform in the UK.
What Find does anyway
The exemption is the floor, not the standard. Every listing is reviewed before it goes live: the company exists, the founder is who they say, the numbers in the listing are the numbers in the documents, nothing promises a return. Companies House data is pulled live — officers, charges, filing status — and shown on the listing. None of that is advice, and none of it is a recommendation; it is the minimum a platform should do before showing you a deal.
Questions investors ask
"I qualify on net assets but my income is modest. Is SEIS relief still useful?"
Relief only offsets tax you pay. With £30,000 of income tax a year, £60,000 of SEIS investment uses it all (carry-back doubles that for the first year). Above that the relief is wasted and the arithmetic in the SEIS guide no longer holds.
"Can I certify on behalf of my company or family trust?"
Different exemptions exist for high-net-worth companies and trusts (generally £5m of net assets, or £500k for some). Find's self-certification is for individuals; ask if you invest through a vehicle.
"Is ticking the box a formality?"
No. Signing it when it is untrue is a false statement, and it removes protections you might otherwise have had. If you do not meet either test, do not sign.